Saturday, January 28, 2006

I've been in the process of trying to put labels on my Colorado pictures. On that trip, something went wrong with the photo element of my old camera, and I am simply not happy with the pictures. So I decided to run out and take new pictures.

On Thursday, I ran up and took shots of the Utah Olympic Park. I left in the afternoon. So, I was in a rush. I visited the museum, then took the self guided tour along the Bobsled run. I highly recommend the walk. I it is a little surreal walking along a concrete slide. Occasionally people would luge past at 70 miles an hour. They have quite a few interactive exhibits and a "Zipline Ride." So, you would be able to keep kids and teens occupied. They might even learn something at the museum.

I used to ski at The Canyons when it was Park West. Man! That place has changed. Where once there was a struggling ski area, there is now this massive resort with towering condos and hotels. The really cool thing is the Cabriolet Gondola used for transporting from Highway 224 to the resort.

I used to be angry at the development. They took the only place I could afford to ski, hit it several thousand times with a D9 Cat, and transformed it into a monster resort.

I was seeing the resort through the same lens I see all of the sprawl that is wiping out the west.

Seeing this particular project near completion, I must admit I am happier with it than most developments. Basically, the resort has high density housing adjacent to an large open area for recreation. They have a central masstransit system. This is much closer to the way I wish the world was growing than say Grand Junction where the town has spawled in ways that fill out the open areas.

Come to think of it. The mass transit in the Park City area is well enough established that you can easily do your ski vacation without renting a car! Their's several ritzy buses that leave the Salt Lake Airport. Once in Summit County, you really are better off taking the free bus than trying to find parking. Imagine taking a vacation from the the car.